The Sight/Chapter 9
Chapter description Jaypaw's PoV :Silverpelt glitters overhead as Jaypaw follows the narrow valley upward. He glances up at the sharp jagged rocks that line his path, and there is a sparkling stream up ahead that runs down the mountain. A cold breeze whisks down, and Jaypaw feels like he had been following the path for days. :A paw jabs his side, and Jaypaw open his eyes and sees only darkness, and realizes he had been dreaming. The paw jabs him again, and he complains. Lionpaw apologizes, and Jaypaw asks why he is so fidgety. From the smell of dew, he guesses that it's hardly dawn, and only Lionpaw and Berrypaw are stirring. Lionpaw explains that they will go on a border patrol with Ashfur and Brambleclaw, and Jaypaw mutters that the deputy is only taking him because nothing happens on borders those days. His littermate reminds him of ShadowClan and WindClan leaving extra markers, but Jaypaw angrily asks if he's afraid of smells. Lionpaw flinches away from his brother, and Jaypaw apologizes, murmuring that he's sure it'll be great. Lionpaw agrees and says he'll see his littermate later, then pads out the den, with Berrypaw trailing behind him. :Jaypaw wriggles deeper into his nest, but cannot fall asleep. The scent of dawn slowly filters into the den when Mousepaw and Hazelpaw stir. Hazelpaw nudges Jaypaw and mews to him to stop pretending to be asleep, so he reluctantly lifts his head. She asks if Berrypaw has already left, and she sounds disappointed when he tells her that he has. Hazelpaw flicks her ears and says that she'll see him later at battle training. Dustpelt growls for Hazelpaw at the entrance, and he tells her to bring Mousepaw to go hunting. Hazelpaw is relieved that she doesn't have to clean out the elder’s den, and Jaypaw thinks she wouldn't do it when he can, and is angry that Daisy's kits have more important duties than him, despite not being Clanborn. :Poppypaw asks him how his first night in the apprentices' den was, and Jaypaw mews that it was fine. Cinderpaw asks Jaypaw what he's doing today, and Jaypaw informs her that he won’t patrol or hunt, but Poppypaw suggests that maybe Brightheart planned battle training. Cinderpaw puts in that she hopes so, since they’re all training in the clearing this morning. Jaypaw doesn’t answer, and as she leaves the den, Poppypaw calls over her shoulder that she hopes to see him there. He thinks that this is very unlikely, considering his luck as of late. Only Honeypaw remains in the den, and Jaypaw, not wanting to wait for her to wake and talk about her anticipated duties, leaves the den. :The frosty ground beneath his paws tells Jaypaw that the skies are clear. The camp is already busy and Firestar stands with Brackenfur and Spiderleg, organizing patrols. Jaypaw notes that Leafpool heads toward the nursery, while Squirrelflight, Stormfur, and Brook share tongues across the clearing. There is no sign of Brightheart, and Jaypaw guesses that she forgot about her apprentice and went on the dawn patrol without him. Jaypaw wants to show her that he isn't useless, and hurries across the clearing to the tunnel leading to the dirtplace. As he emerges, he scents Sandstorm heading into camp, and dives behind a clump of bracken. Sandstorm halts and sniffs the air, pauses for a moment, then carries on into camp. Jaypaw, relieved, scrambles out of the bracken, quickly finding the path that he and Brightheart had taken yesterday. He thinks that if Brightheart won't show him the territory, he would explore it himself. Jaypaw decides to start by going toward the lake as the scents of water and wind excite him. :Climbing the slope and following ridge is easy, and when he comes to the end of it, Jaypaw is prepared for the steepness of the slope. He scrabbles down and heads away from the Thunderpath, in the opposite direction of the one from yesterday. Jaypaw follows the side of the ridge through the trees, which isn't difficult for him. Gradually the trees and undergrowth thin and the slope flattens. The ground becomes soft, springy with moss, and heather brushes his pelt. He tastes the air, wondering how far he is from the lake, but the wind blows from ThunderClan territory, and doesn't give a clue about the land ahead. The sound of water on the shore is distant and it is hard to tell where it comes from. Suddenly Jaypaw's forepaw slips into a rabbit hole and twists beneath him, pain shooting up his leg. The apprentice scrambles out of the hole, and his paw is not badly hurt. He notes that it is not like the woodland at all, and wonders if exploring on his own is a good idea, but is determined to reach the lake. He pads forward through the boggy ground, when suddenly his forepaws sink deep into peaty earth, freezing mud soaking his legs up to his chest. Jaypaw scrabbles backward, and with a frantic heave, frees his forepaws from the mud and grabs for the nearest clump of heather. He scrambles among its bristly branches and trembles, warning himself to test the ground before he steps forward. Jaypaw tests the ground on the other side of the heather for its firmness. He slips out from the heather and warily pads forward. Jaypaw slowly begins walking, and eventually the ground grows drier and firmer and the land slopes up again. He sniffs the air, which carries the familiar scent of home. The gray tabby is tempted to go back, but won’t give up. :Jaypaw tries to imagine the landscape in his mind; the moss turns to grass underpaw, the rustling of the forest is far behind him, the sound of the lake louder now. The apprentice quickens his step, enjoying the freedom of open space, and when he happily sniffs the air again, he is alarmed to scent WindClan, so strong that it almost covers his own scent. Jaypaw is sure that there are no cats nearby, and wonders if he strayed across the border without realizing. He twists around, searching for the scent of home, and steps back, frightened. Without warning, the land disappears, and though Jaypaw thrashes his paws for something to grasp, there is a drop beneath him, and he hits shockingly cold water. Jaypaw flails beneath the waves, lungs screaming for air, afraid that he will drown. :Suddenly, a sharp tug on Jaypaw’s scruff drags him backward and something heaves him through the water. He instinctively falls limp and lets himself be wrenched upward till he reaches the surface. In his first gulp of air he swallows water which makes him cough, and a voice hisses to keep still. The apprentice feels himself being tugged through the rippling waves and his paws churn in the water, feeling for the bottom. The voice orders to stop wriggling and Jaypaw suddenly feels pebbles scrape against his pelt as he is hauled onto a stony beach. Paws begin pumping the water from his chest, and a young cat asks if he will be okay. Jaypaw is too shocked to make out scents, and asks who is there. The voice is confused, then exclaims that he cannot see. Jaypaw's rescuer asks him what he is doing out here by himself, and a rough tongue begins to lick him, and another tongue joins. Jaypaw closes his eyes and lay helpless. :As his mind clears, he realizes that the cats are WindClan, and that there are four of them, two older, two younger. One of the apprentices asks Whitetail if he will be okay. She crouches beside Jaypaw and he feels her pelt trembling against his. Not his rescuer, but a female warrior answers that he’ll be fine. She asks Jaypaw if he can hear her and he nods and sits, shaking his head to clear it of water. The WindClan cats leap away from the droplets, and an unfamiliar mew from the male apprentice says that it's typical that a ThunderClan cat would show thanks by wetting them. The older tom growls at Breezepaw to stop making a fuss, then demands to know why Jaypaw is so far from camp, and asks if anyone is with him. Whitetail pleads Crowfeather to be gentler, and licks Jaypaw’s ear, reassuring him that he’s safe. Jaypaw relaxes, and the she-cat introduces herself as Whitetail, Crowfeather, and their apprentices, Heatherpaw and Breezepaw. She asks what he is doing alone and if he knew he was heading for WindClan territory. Jaypaw mews that he will be, and Crowfeather snaps that he should hope so, and wonders what his Clan was thinking, letting him wander off like that. :Heatherpaw leans closer and asks Jaypaw if he can see anything, but Breezepaw snorts that if he can, he must be stupid to walk off the edge of a cliff. Jaypaw hisses that he didn’t walk off the edge, but Breezepaw sniffs that it looked like it from where they were standing. Crowfeather scolds his son to be quiet, and Breezepaw falls silent. Crowfeather meows that he should take Jaypaw back to ThunderClan, and he asks the ThunderClan apprentice if he can travel. Jaypaw nods, though his legs are shaky, and he thanks Crowfeather for rescuing him, but politely mews that he can find his own way home. Crowfeather insists that he won't let Jaypaw wander by himself again, and orders Whitetail to take Heatherpaw and Breezepaw back to camp. The warrior rests his tail on Jaypaw’s shoulder and begins to guide him up the beach. Whitetail calls after him to see his medicine cat as soon as he gets home. :Crowfeather hardly speaks as they trek through ThunderClan territory and head toward camp, only meowing warnings when they come across rabbit holes or roots. Jaypaw is happy with the silence, and since the ground is unfamiliar, he is too furious to concentrate on anything but the warrior's occasional instructions. He resents Crowfeather's tail on his shoulder, but doesn’t complain. Jaypaw suddenly recognizes the sloping earth beneath his paws that is strewn with twigs and the trees rustling overhead. The two near the top of the hollow, and Jaypaw wonders how he will explain why he wasn’t with Brightheart. He scents a ThunderClan patrol of Squirrelflight, Stormfur, and Brook heading for them, and tenses his shoulders. Stormfur is surprised to see Crowfeather, and paws race toward them. Squirrelflight presses her muzzle into Jaypaw’s damp fur and asks what happened to him. She licks his ears and asks Crowfeather where he found him. Crowfeather answers that he had wandered into WindClan territory, and Jaypaw bows his head in embarrassment. He can tell that Squirrelflight feels awkward when Crowfeather asks if kits always go out by themselves. Jaypaw snaps that he's an apprentice, but feels his mother’s tail brush his muzzle to silence him. She mews that WindClan once had cats who went wandering farther than they should, and though Jaypaw is confused, Crowfeather clearly knows what she means. He meows that she should get him back to camp, and Squirrelflight agrees. She starts to gently nudge Jaypaw down the slope, but to his surprise, Crowfeather accompanies them. Squirrelflight doesn’t question it, though Jaypaw senses joy in Stormfur’s step as he walks beside the WindClan warrior. Brook falls into step with Jaypaw and tells him not to be ashamed, as she did much worse when she was still training. Suddenly the thorn barrier rustles and Mousepaw rushes out of the camp entrance, calling that they found him. Squirrelflight sighs that they did, and Stormfur tells Mousepaw to find Brightheart’s patrol and tell her to stop searching. She also instructs Mousepaw to ask Cloudtail if he can take Cinderpaw with him. Mousepaw accepts the warrior's word, and dashes back into the camp. Squirrelflight leads the way through the tunnel, and Stormfur advises Jaypaw to go to Leafpool. Squirrelflight offers to visit him after speaking to Brambleclaw. :Jaypaw slinks toward the medicine cat's den, with Crowfeather padding after him. He is confused on why the WindClan warrior is following him, and when he tries to sense what Crowfeather is feeling, he feels nothing. Leafpool spins around as Jaypaw pads into her den and is relieved that he is safe. She tenses suddenly and stares at Crowfeather. Jaypaw feels tension, and Leafpool greets Crowfeather as if she had something caught in her throat. The young apprentice feels something other than irritation beneath the warrior's pelt when he informs Leafpool that they found him when he was out with Breezepaw and his mentor. Leafpool is surprised that his son is already an apprentice, and Hollypaw rushes over to her brother and rubs her muzzle against his cheek. Leafpool orders her apprentice to fetch thyme for shock. The young she-cat darts away to the back of the den, but returns a moment later with feverfew, instead of the instructed herb. Leafpool meows that Jaypaw hardly needs cooling down, and hurries to the pile of herbs, grabbing a mouthful of thyme. She prompts Hollypaw why she’s giving Jaypaw the herb. Hollypaw guesses to make him warm, but her mentor corrects her that she can warm him by lying next to him. Hollypaw crouches down beside her brother and presses her body against his. Leafpool noses the thyme toward Jaypaw and explains that it will help calm him and help with shock. She encourages Jaypaw to eat it, and he swallows the leaves without complaint, too cold and tired to object to anything. He closes his eyes and feels his sister's body's warmth seep into his. He is vaguely aware of the emotion between Crowfeather and Leafpool, but falls asleep. Characters Major *Crowfeather }} Minor *Berrypaw *Mousepaw *Hazelpaw *Dustpelt *Poppypaw *Cinderpaw *Honeypaw *Firestar *Spiderleg *Brackenfur *Leafpool *Squirrelflight *Stormfur *Brook *Sandstorm *Whitetail *Breezepaw *Heatherpaw *Hollypaw }} Mentioned *Brambleclaw *Brightheart *Cloudtail }} Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:The Sight Category:Power of Three arc